A New Lens on Childhood Obesity: Developing and Validating the Obesity-Related Well-Being (ORWB) Scale for Assessing Well-Being in Obese Children and Adolescents

The increasing prevalence of pediatric obesity is a significant public health issue, with conventional diagnostic methods often overlooking its psychological, social, and lifestyle consequences. This study aimed to create and confirm the validity of the obesity-related well-being (ORWB) scale, a new tool designed to evaluate the diverse impacts of obesity on children and adolescent’s physical, psychological, social, and lifestyle well-being. The scale was developed through extensive literature analysis and consultations with experts in the field. The study included 672 students aged 12–18 years, predominantly overweight, from a pool of 19,876 students across four Tunisian governorates. The scale’s internal consistency was evaluated using robust measures such as McDonald’s omega, Cronbach’s alpha, and Guttman’s lambda 6. Construct validity was supported by factor analyses, with RMSEA approaching zero and CFI/TLI exceeding the 0.95 benchmark. The scale’s multidimensional structure was validated, corresponding to its theoretical notion. The ORWB scale is a significant advancement in pediatric obesity, offering healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers a comprehensive tool to evaluate and enhance the well-being of children affected by obesity.